Faith - Trust

4100 PISTEUO (242): to receive information into one's mind,
accept it as being true, and have enough confidence in it to act or be willing
to act on it. Thus, in the FCM (NT) pisteuo means "to trust."

An example of this is Jesus' healing of the centurion's boy as recorded in
Mt.8.5-13. The centurion showed that he trusted Jesus' ability to heal when he
asked him to heal his boy. And when Jesus said, "I will come and heal him," the
centurion further showed his trust by saying, "I am not worthy that you should
come under my roof; only speak a word and my boy will be healed." Jesus
confirmed this in verse 13: "'...as you have trusted, let be it done unto you.'
And his boy was healed in that hour."

Another example occurs in Mk.11.27-33, when the chief priests, scribes and older
men came to Jesus and asked where he got his authority. Jesus told them that if
they would answer his question then he would answer theirs. Jesus' question
was: "Was the immersion by John from heaven, or from men?...They reasoned among
themselves, saying if we say, 'from heaven,' then he will say, 'Why then did
you not trust (pisteuo) him?...'" That is, refusing the immersion offered by
John showed that they did not trust John's message.

Pisteuo is usually translated "believe" in the FCM. The word "believe" means to
accept information as being true, but does not necessarily include action.
Therefore, "believe" is inadequate to translate pisteuo. See "trust" (4102
pistis) for additional information.

John uses the verb form pisteuo almost 100 times in his "gospel" but does not use
the noun form pistis at all, indicating that his gospel is about "trust in
action."

Pisteuo is also used several times in the sense, "to place in one's trust" or "to
entrust." For example in 1Th.2.4: "...but as we have been approved by God to be
entrusted [with] the good news, thus we speak."

"To trust" (Pisteuo) is the opposite of:

1)

"to not trust" (0569 apisteo) in Mk.16.16 and 1Pe.2.7,

2)

"to doubt" (1252 diakrino) in Mk.11.23,

3)

"to not trust" (0571 apistia) in Mk.9.24, 16.14,

4)

"to be unpersuaded" (0544 apeitheo) in Jn.3.36 and Act.14.1-2, and

5)

"not trusting (one)" (0571 apistos) in 1Co.14.22.

Translation:

TO BE SO CONVINCED THAT WRITTEN OR SPOKEN INFORMATION IS TRUE THAT ONE IS WILLING
TO ACT THEREON; OR, TO TRUST IN A PERSON:

The demons of Jas.2.19b do not tremble just because they know that they will
eventually be destroyed, but also because they trust God to do what he says.
This usage of pisteuo is not applicable to humans.

4102 PISTIS (243): Trust. Pistis is usually translated "belief"
or "faith." There is variation in belief among Christians as to its meaning. To
some, pistis merely means "mental acknowledgement," others recognize that
pistis usually includes "confidence" or "action." Still others define it
differently. Unfortunately, the usage of the words "belief" or "faith" in
every-day English is too vague to accurately translate pistis in the FCM (NT).

However, the actions of God's people as recorded in the eleventh chapter of
Hebrews provide a clear meaning of pistis. For example, Heb.11.8: "By pistis
(trust) Abraham, being called, obeyed to proceed to a place which he was about
to receive for an inheritance, and he went out, not knowing where he was
going." That is, Abraham not only accepted what God told him as being true, but
also had enough confidence in it to act upon it (He obeyed).

Heb.10.38-39 shows the essence and consequences of one's trust (pistis) or lack
of trust: "...my upright one will live by pistis (trust). And if he draws back
my soul is displeased with him. But we are not of [those] drawing back to
destruction, but of [those] trusting unto possession of [their] soul."

Heb.11.1 continues by showing that pistis declares the reality of things that a
person cannot discover through his five senses; that is, things which are in
the future, and things which exist but have not been experienced: "Trust is
[the] reality of hope, proof of unseen things."

One must "trust" God to receive benefit from him. For example, Heb.11.6:
"...without trust (pistis) it is impossible to have been pleasing [to God]; for
it is necessary for the one who is approaching God to trust (4100 pisteuo) that
he exists, and that he becomes a rewarder to those seeking him out."

Since pistis is so critically important to pleasing God, How does one acquire it?
The answer is in Rom.10.17: "Trust is from hearing, and hearing through a
message of the Anointed One (Christ);" that is, through trusting the good news
(gospel) about the Anointed one.

See "truth" (0225 aletheia) for the relationship of
"truth" to "trust." See "favor" (5485 charis ) for
God's "new agreement:" "favor through trust."

When the expression "the trust" occurs, it sometimes means "a trustworthy
message." Also, in Act.17.31 pistis refers to an "assurance" or "guarantee."

PISTIS AS A METAPHOR FOR INFORMATION IN WHICH TO TRUST: Example: "the trust" is
equivalent to "God's Message" in Act.6.7: "And God's Message (3056
logos) increased...and a great crowd of the priests obeyed the trusted
message (pistis)." It is equivalent to "the truth" (0225 aletheia
) in 2Ti.3.8.

ASSURANCE OR GUARANTEE: trustworthy assurance in Act.17.31: "...offering a
guarantee to all [by] having raised him up out of the dead."

GUARANTEE (1) Act.17.31.

4104 PISTO'O (1): to make faithful, to convince, give assurance
to CONVINCE 2Ti.3.14.

4103 PISTOS (66): a characteristic of one who can be relied upon
to fulfill his obligations. For example, Mt.24.45: "Who then is the trustworthy
(pistos) and wise slave whom the lord appointed over his household..."